Globalization and Families: Accelerated Systemic Social Change

229 Pages·2010·7.62 MB·English

by  Bahira Trask (auth.)

Globalization and Families
Bahira Sherif Trask
Globalization and Families
Accelerated Systemic Social Change
Bahira Sherif Trask
Department of Human Development and Family Studies
University of Delaware
Newark, DE
USA
[email protected]
ISBN 978-0-387-88284-0 e-ISBN 978-0-387-88285-7
DOI 10.1007/978-0-387-88285-7
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Preface
This work is the outgrowth of my realization that globalization and families are
interrelated in a manner that has not been adequately explored in conventional
approaches. Most analyses of globalization focus on its economic nature and the
implications of this process for markets and nation-states. Other aspects of global-
ization have been virtually ignored, except for some contentious and significant, yet
often marginalized debates about the relationships between globalization, poverty,
and inequality. Nevertheless, there are substantial, complex social aspects associated
with globalization. Economic conditions and the actions of nation-states have direct
impacts on family lives. Conversely, the decisions that are arrived at in families
ultimately contribute to the success or failure of economic agendas and nation-state
programs and policies. The relationship between globalization and families, how-
ever, is even more profound and complex than economic or political perspectives
reveal. Globalization is the critical driving force that is fundamentally restructuring
the social order around the world, and families are the center of this change. In every
society, traditional notions about family life, work, identity, and the relationships of
individuals and groups to one another are being transformed due to globalizing
forces. It is this critically important and little understood social dynamic that is the
focus of this book.
In order to explore the nature of contemporary social change, globalization
needs to be examined by highlighting the complex dynamic relationship between
families, economies, nation-states, and transnational institutions. Globalization has
been accompanied by unprecedented rapid transformation at every level of social
life. As the flow of capital, goods, people, and ideas continues to accelerate, these
processes have altered fundamental concepts about family forms, roles and rela-
tionships, gender norms, and identity formation. A focus on globalizing processes
reveals that the restructuring of economies and the changing role of nation-states,
the mass migration of individuals from developing countries to the industrialized
world, and the widespread entrance of women into the formal and informal labor
force are interrelated with significant changes for families around the globe.
Globalization is associated with the spread of specific ideologies that are real-
ized and negotiated in the intimate sphere of the family. Families are integrated into
the global economy through formal and informal work, through production and
consumption, and through their relationship with nation-states. Moreover, constantly
v
vi Preface
evolving communication and information technologies allow families and individu-
als to have access to others in an unprecedented manner. These relationships are
accompanied by new conceptualizations of appropriate lifestyles, identities, and
ideologies even among those who may never be able to access them. In the West
we are witnessing an increasing emphasis on individualism, a democratization of
family life, the decreasing authority of men, the growing acceptance of alternative
lifestyles such as cohabitation, divorce, and same-sex couples, and more varied life
course trajectories. These depictions of family life have also spread to the develop-
ing world. However, due to a complex set of interrelated factors, the acceptance of
varied family forms has not taken hold in the same manner. Instead, developing
countries have been faced with their own unique challenges with respect to family
life. In particular, economic concerns such as labor force participation, rising
inequalities within and between countries, and fears about ‘Westernization’ have
elicited, in some cases, nationalistic responses. Globalization is closely related to
all of these social phenomena.
Globalization is a complex phenomenon: one the one hand, it has brought about
a restructuring of economies that has opened up different venues for work and
social relationships. However, on the other hand, a vital aspect of globalization
centers around the proliferation and spread of new images and ideologies to the
farthest reaches of the world. Moreover, globalization occurs on multiple levels
simultaneously. It is realized on local, national, and transnational levels, and is
accompanied by a compression of time. As information spreads ever more quickly,
the impact of globalization can be felt immediately. When a crisis occurs in one
area, it can have immediate repercussions in other places. This realization has been
brought home by recent economic developments. As markets react to an economic
downturn in one country, there are immediate aftershocks felt in multiple other
areas around the globe. Families are not immune from these processes. In fact, it is
within families that all of these forces come to bear. As we move into an increas-
ingly interconnected, accelerating, globalized world, it is imperative to understand
the dynamic nature of globalization by examining the transformations of the social
order and how these changes are related to the linkages between globalization and
families.
This study is the outgrowth of my own scholarly trajectory in cultural anthropol-
ogy, political science, and family studies. Through immersion in these different
disciplines, I have come to realize the importance of examining different phenom-
ena from macro- and micro-level approaches, and to recognize the limitations of
disciplinary orientations. I have also become aware that, in order to truly under-
stand social phenomena, we need to take a multi-pronged approach that takes into
consideration cultural, political, and economic factors. It is only through greater
holistic perspectives that we can arrive at a more comprehensive understanding of
the processes and impacts of globalization.
My immersion in this research on the linkages between globalization and fami-
lies has led me to understand that we are in the midst of a change that is more
profound than is realized by more casual observers of these processes. We are
experiencing a fundamental global restructuring of social life, unlike anything that
Preface vii
we have witnessed since the Industrial Revolution in the West. One of the fascinat-
ing and dissimilar aspects of this process, however, is that unlike the Industrial
Revolution, this transformation is global and is rapidly affecting every part of the
world, albeit differentially. Problematic for most analyses, however, is the fact that
this transformation is highly complex and nuanced. No single approach and no
topic area in isolation can capture the enormity of the change. Thus, what is
required is an holistic examination of multiple spheres and their points of intersec-
tion. This book approaches this complicated issue by focusing on families as the
arena where macro- and micro-forces come together. An investigation of the link-
ages between families and globalization allows us to understand how individuals
and broader social forces intersect, and to gain greater insight into the fluidity and
rapid social change that are an inherent feature of globalization.
In order to delve into the significance of global forces in the lives of families the
world over, a progression of topics are examined systematically in this analysis. As
a foundation, and in order to familiarize the reader with the significant arguments
in various social science disciplines, multiple perspectives and controversies around
globalization and the current state of knowledge about families are initially consid-
ered. This overview reveals that, despite a prolific literature on each subject, neither
globalization nor the state of families are clearly understood and actually suffer
from many of the same conceptual problems. Both globalization and families are
each distinctly politicized phenomena that lack definitional clarity and incite con-
tentious discourse despite a dearth of empirical data to support many of such
claims. Moreover, they are ephemeral phenomena changing constantly depending
on context and time, thus provoking debate about their makeup and processes.
Compounding this complexity is that, while most analyses purport to be interdisci-
plinary, they usually draw just from one primary disciplinary orientation, and focus
on Western perspectives. These inherent biases skew analyses and conclusions, and
distort most attempts at universal generalizations. They also thwart the creation of
policies that could potentially harness some of the forces of globalization for the
well-being of families and societies.
The discussion then turns to the multifaceted subject of globalization and gen-
der. A critical but marginalized perspective suggests that every aspect of globaliza-
tion is distinctly gendered. This standpoint highlights the fact that globalization
does not just impact gender discourses and relationships, but the phenomenon itself
is affected by gendered responses and challenges. Specifically, the relationship
between gender and economics emphasizes that globalization has had unequal
effects on men and women, particularly in the developing world. With the major
restructuring of economies beginning in the late 1960s, and the growth of multina-
tional corporations, certain parts of the labor market have become ‘feminized’ as
women increasingly take on part-time, low-paid, and, at times, risky jobs. Moreover,
in industrialized and developing countries, women struggle to balance participation
in the formal and informal workforce with caregiving in their families. In the indus-
trialized world, middle and upper class women are coping with this dilemma by
increasingly employing women from developing countries to assist with child and
elder care responsibilities. In the developing world, many of these tasks are being
viii Preface
relegated to extended family, husbands, siblings, and poorer women who are will-
ing to perform this labor for minimal wages. Complicating this issue is that this
form of work, also referred to as reproductive labor, is often unacknowledged in
mainstream discussions. A gendered analysis of globalization reveals that this phe-
nomenon has implications for the construction of femininities and masculinities on
a global level, and that the process of globalization itself is a gendered one.
The focus of the book then shifts to some of the tangible linkages between glo-
balization and families, and examines the changing nature of global migration. As
our world becomes increasingly interconnected, migration from the developing to
the industrialized world is playing an increasingly important role. While the United
States, Canada, Australia, and Israel have always been ‘immigration’ societies,
contemporary receiving countries such as Japan, and certain countries in Europe
and the Middle East, are struggling with incorporating large numbers of non-
citizens into their societies. In part, as a reaction to the magnitude of the migration,
governments have responded by tightening laws and services to immigrants. Even
in countries with a long history of immigration, such as the US, the rapid increase
of immigrants has been met with resistance. Consequentially, immigrants are
increasingly marginalized and, especially, low-skilled immigrants have been
excluded from the mainstream. This movement and marginalization has led to new
forms of transnational families, as migrants retain ties in their home societies, while
also forging new relationships abroad. Of significance in this trend is the gendered
nature of contemporary migration patterns. Increasingly, women from the develop-
ing world are leaving their families and communities behind, as they seek new
opportunities in other regions of their own societies or in other countries, some-
times very distant from their homes.
From an overview of the importance of contemporary migration, the discussion
moves to the changing nature of the relationship between the work and family
spheres. While there is a burgeoning scholarship on work and family, this topic is
dominated specifically by a US perspective on the issues faced by middle-class,
white families. This approach emphasizes dual-earner couples, unequal gender
roles in marriage, occupational stress, and work–family spillover. However, work/
family issues are much more complex than many of these perspectives indicate.
Care labor, ideologies about family roles and responsibilities, and the restructuring
of work and businesses are all intertwined with family economies and ideologies.
For example, among some of the poorest families in developing countries, children
perform the majority of caregiving and economic assistance in their families.
However, this significant aspect of the work/family interface is usually not
acknowledged in mainstream discourse. Economic concerns, coupled with the issue
of care, highlight the importance of expanding policies that allow families in indus-
trialized and developing countries to balance their work/family responsibilities.
While mainstream approaches acknowledge the global spread of ideologies per-
taining to women’s empowerment, recognition of the worldwide expansion of con-
ceptualizations of children, childhood, and children’s rights has been more limited.
As globalization leads to increasing interconnectedness, images and ideologies per-
taining to children are spreading around the world. Most of these depictions stem
Preface ix
from a Western perspective about ‘what’ children need in order to ‘develop’ in a
healthy manner. This point of view, however, does not account for children’s
extremely varied living conditions. Not all children are able to attend school for a set
number of years and to grow up in conditions that encourage play and a responsibil-
ity-free childhood. Instead, for millions of children, poverty plays a pivotal role in
their lives, forcing them, under certain conditions, to become primary breadwinners
in their families. These same economic conditions also dispute popular assumptions
that children the world over are being transformed into a homogenous group of
consumers, increasingly assuming the same tastes and fads as communication and
information technologies proliferate. In fact, growing inequalities between children
within and between societies translate into varying amounts of risk for them. Also
problematic is the un-gendered nature of conventional approaches to children and
childhood. Depending on location, the concerns and challenges that girls face may
be quite dissimilar from those of boys. For example, in certain cultural contexts, it
is primarily girls who are pulled out of school to care for other family members,
thereby limiting their future opportunities. This raises complex questions about the
universal utility of laws pertaining to children’s rights and the applicability of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child in an undiscriminating manner.
Globalization is also closely interconnected with aging and the elderly. While
there is general acknowledgment in the West that the aging of the population por-
tends difficulties for societies in the near future, there is less recognition that, within
a relatively short time frame, the largest number of elderly individuals will actually
reside in the developing world. Currently, most of these societies do not have pro-
grams and policies in place for the elderly, due to cultural norms that usually rele-
gated care to females in families. However, as women are increasingly incorporated
into the labor force, the elder care that they performed in the invisible sphere of the
family is becoming a growing and, at times, impossible burden on them, their fami-
lies, and their societies. Simultaneously, this transformation is occurring as many
states are cutting provisions in services to families. The arena of aging and the
elderly provides, however, also a sphere where globalization can be deployed in a
positive manner. For example, by raising awareness of the impending issues sur-
rounding the aging of the global population, the inequalities within and between
societies with respect to the elderly, the increasing multicultural nature of an older
cohort, and the demands of care work, globalizing forces can be used to mobilize
and disseminate solutions for these issues.
Concern over family-related issues such as gender roles and work, the socializa-
tion and care of children, and the well-being of the elderly also entails an examination
of the contemporary role of nation-states. Today’s nation-states need to be understood
as engaged in a global framework that is in a consistently dynamic relationship with
its inhabitants, as well as with transnational institutions. Globalization is raising ques-
tions about basic issues such as the role of territory and the rights of citizens versus
non-citizens. Increased migration coupled with accelerated information and commu-
nication technologies is bringing individuals from very varied locales and cultures
into contact together. New communities and identities are created that are often
divorced from territorial belonging. Contemporary nation-states are also part of a new
x Preface
social fabric that places them in direct purview of transnational institutions that
attempt to regulate a range of issues from economic activities to environmental con-
cerns. While these concerns are primarily realized on a local level, nation-states func-
tion as an intermediary between the global arena and the local sphere. From this
perspective, nation-states are not losing their functionality, but through globalization,
are reformulating their activities. This reformulation has direct impacts on families
and individuals, with respect to policies and the provision of services.
Nation-states and transnational institutions are also closely tied to the conditions
that are leading to increased inequalities within and between societies. While the
relationship between poverty and globalization is a contentious issue, few dispute
that, under current conditions, some individuals, groups, and countries have become
wealthier, and others are increasingly poorer. Even though it is unclear which spe-
cific factors contribute to conditions of progress through globalization, and which
contribute to decline, it is generally acknowledged that globalization is an uneven
process that interacts with local conditions. All of these transformations have reper-
cussions for families as they navigate economic and social fluctuations.
Global transformations have significant implications not just for the material
side of life, but they are intertwined with ideologies about the rights and roles of
individuals. These shifting conceptualizations are accompanied with profound
implications for families. As families are increasingly integrated into the global
economy, and simultaneously exposed to new and varied representations of life-
styles and choices, they are forced to adjust to changed conditions and representa-
tions. This process, however, is not occurring in a uniform manner. Within various
societies, and in a number of regions of the world, new images and ways of life
have been met with opposition, resistance, and the growth of fundamentalist and
nationalistic sentiments. Thus, what we find is that globalization is a highly uneven
process. Globalization may be a transnational economic, political, and social pro-
cess, but it is primarily realized in local contexts.
As material foundations of life, concepts of space and time, and identities are
increasingly redefined and transformed, globalizing forces are reaching into the
very core of contemporary social life. In this new world, individuals are able to
adopt multiple identities, form new sorts of families, and claim membership in a
variety of communities, many of them not bound by place or region. As identities
are increasingly in flux, new affiliations, and ethnicities are created and sustained
through ties with other places and people across far away spaces. This has given
rise to new unimagined types of issues and problems. We are faced with new forms
of inclusion and exclusion, with increasing economic inequalities and shrinking
conceptions of boundaries and space. Proliferating communication and informa-
tion technologies allow for instantaneous communication and transmission. In our
time, our lives have become more fluid, our beliefs and concepts, once believed to
be natural and immutable, are in greater states of flux. With this transformation
have come challenges, in every culture, to assumptions about family life, the life
course, and the role of the individual. There exists greater variability with respect
to images of children, youth, adulthood, aging, marriage, gender roles, and power
relationships in families, in communities, in societies, and between nation-states.